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Halo: Contact Harvest by Joseph Staten

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(Paperback)

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  • Publisher: St. Martin's Press
  • Pub. Date: October 2007
  • ISBN-13: 9780765315694
  • Sales Rank: 3,909
  • 400pp
  • Series: Halo Ser.
 
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Synopsis

This is how it began... It is the year 2524.  Harvest is a peaceful, prosperous farming colony on the very edge of human-controlled space.  But we have trespassed on holy ground--strayed into the path of an aggressive alien empire known as the Covenant.  What begins as a chance encounter between an alien privateer and a human freighter catapults mankind into a struggle for its very existence. But humanity is also locked in a bitter civil war known as the Insurrection.  So the survival of Harvest's citizens falls to a squad of battle-weary UNSC Marines and their inexperienced colonial militia trainees.  In this unlikely group of heroes, one stands above the rest...a young Marine staff sergeant named Avery Johnson.

Publishers Weekly

The battle for humanity continues in this latest addition to the bestselling franchise based on the mega-popular video games. Narration is split between Holter Graham and Jen Taylor, who each try their very best to make the material as urgent and important as possible. However, as good as Graham is, pushing the line between corny and downright brilliant in his delivery, Taylor jumps far over the believability line, overemphasizing every word as if the audience is incapable of understanding what she's trying to say. Her cheesy dialects and over-the-top accents detract from the tension and suspense that Graham offers. Simultaneous release with the Tor hardcover. (Feb.)

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Biography

JOSEPH STATEN started with BUNGIE STUDIOS in 1998, and has since served as a writer and designer for ONI (2001) as well as writer and cinematics director for HALO (2001) and HALO 2 (2004). Currently writing HALO 3, Joseph is also working with Peter Jackson's newly formed game development studio, WINGNUT INTERACTIVE, writing and designing an as-of-yet unannounced game set in the Halo universe.

Customer Reviews

Best Book Ive Read In A Whileby Anonymous

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September 16, 2008: This book is a must for Halo fans.

A worthy addition to the Halo mythos.by Anonymous

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August 25, 2008: While most of the other books in the Halo series were written by Science Ficion author Eric Nylund, first time author Joseph Statan takes the helm for this fifth installment. In my opinion, there was nobody better to cronicle the origins of the Human-Covenant war than one of the original creators and writers of the Halo game series. For those not in the know, Halo chronicles the war between the Humans and a confederation of aliens known as the Covenant who are bound together by religious beliefs. 'Contact Harvest' outlines the first contact between the two factions on the Human farming colony Harvest, and the early skirmishes over the Covenant's so called 'holy artifacts' that sparked the thirty year war culminating in the events of the game Halo 3. 'Contact Harvest' is the second book to not feature Master Chief, the main character of the Halo series, but instead focuses on a more minor character Sergeant Johnson who, for the first time, is truly fleshed out as a person. Contact Harvest is ultimately the ultimate Halo fan's dream. Not only do we find out what events led up to the Human-Covenant war, but we learn more about Johnson who, for the first time, finally seems like a human being. I also enjoyed hearing the story from the Covenant's perspective and learning more about their culture and mentality as well as discovering the pasts of some of the Covenant's most important figures. For newcomesers into the Halo universe, this is a good place to start becasues it takes place, chronologically, before the first four novels and the three games. The second book without the series main character Master Chief, 'Contact Harvest' instead focuses on the character of Sergent Johnson who is really fleshed out here for the first time. I also very much enjoyed hearing the story from the Covenants perspective and thought it provided important insight into their history and culture. In all, I emmensily enjoyed 'Contact Harvest'. I enjoy the Halo series as a whole and believe that each book is better than the last. Staten's style seems to echo that of Nylund's right down to his excessive use of dashes, but that is not necessarily a bad thing because I found Nylund's works equally enjoyable. Ultimately, recomend this latest installment for both Halo fans and newcomers alike because I think both fans and non-fans will find something to like. If you've never read Halo before, don't worry! You can start here and not miss a thing. I suggest that, if your a fan of Science Fiction, give 'Contact Harvest' a try and perhaps you will get hooked on Halo.


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